From the Detroit Institute of Art comes this nicely illustrated collection of teacher-created lesson plans about ancient Egypt. Suitable for a wide range of grades, these lessons encompass both art and ancient history. The materials lists vary considerably, so assess your resources before assigning these.

In the Classroom

It really doesn't get more creative than this! Take advantage of the free lesson plans and examples provided on this site! This is a great resource for Elementary School teachers, as the subject literally spans almost every content.

Developed by the National Japanese American Historical Society, this page is a well-organized meta-list of lessons relating to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The lessons include material for all grade levels, and they address the historical, literary, and constitutional aspects of these Americans' experiences. Today's students can learn much from this experience.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities offered on this site! Save this site as a favorite for easy use and retrieval for future unit planning. Social studies teachers will love this one!

World cultures or government classes will find the multidimensional counters on this site a wonderful way to illustrate the growth (or depletion) population, resources, and other global activity. It's a very tangible illustration of the rate at which things are changing in our world. Teachers can be creative with this one.

In the Classroom

This is a really great way to demonstrate a lot of the concepts taught in a Cultural Geography or US government class. Assign cooperative learning groups to investigate a portion of this site, based on what's being taught at the time. A good example would be having environmental sustainability group looking at water and land resources, as well as the growing population. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here

This privately created site offers an interesting, though disjointed, look at Cambodia's people and recent past. In addition to the prerequisite almanac material, there are chronicles of the conflict of the past 30 years. Of particular interest are the haunting contemporary Hmong artworks showing a country at once troubled and beautiful. This one could be an interesting supplement to a world cultures study of Asia.

In the Classroom

Use the images on this site to create a visual discovery activity in your classroom. Select 3-5 of the more powerful images, preferably diverse subjects. (i.e. religion, economics, agriculture, etc) Placing the images in a PowerPoint, have students write down what they observe, infer and predict about each image as the slide show progresses. After students have finished the presentation, have a class discussion based on what students recorded. This would be a great review activity, allowing students to apply classroom content to the subjects of the images. Great source for a World History classroom!

Chicago's Adler Planetarium offers this interesting introduction to the way in which early cultures interpreted the heavens. There are dozens of examples drawn from as many ancient cultures, and all organized into themes that would have been essential to these civilizations. A set of lesson plans rounds out this intriguing unit.

In the Classroom

Save this site as a favorite and use it for an all-around resource for a unit on astronomy. Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered in addition to the sections that could be used as learning centers by themselves. This is a great resource for an inter-disciplinary lesson about astronomy.

This remarkably well-organized site provides extensive background, chronological, and biographical information on the people and events of World War I. While the writing is best suited to high school or undergraduate students, the time lines and other features could be useful to younger students studying this time period.

This site from Britain's National Archives documents the political evolution of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and France from about 1066 through the death of Elizabeth I. While most of this content is absent from American curricula, this site does an elegant job of summarizing the people and events that ultimately resulted in the emergence of the United Kingdom.

What is the proper role of international courts in keeping world order? This site from the American Radioworks series examines the precedents, premises, and problems inherent in using international law to punish war criminals and keep the peace internationally. AP high school students will find this one a challenging issue.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on International Trials or the legal consequences of Genocide in a US government or history course. The site is a little text-heavy, and would work best with higher level high school classes. To assess student learning and differentiate between the trial events, have students create a timeline describing the events of all three events. We recommend using an online tool such as Who What When (reviewed here)

The Social Studies Research Council has collected an impressive collection of essays and articles on topics relating to the aftermath of 9/11 and American foreign and domestic policies since then. Thematically indexed, it offers a wide range of perspectives on issues such as balancing personal freedoms and national security. AP government, social studies, and history teachers will find this one especially useful.

In the Classroom

Use these teaching guides and lesson plans in your classroom. The site also has lists internet sources that could be good resources for any students working on a research paper or project. If applicable, list the site on the class wiki or web page to allow students to explore the resources listed on their own.

This web site - a companion to the PBS program of the same name - offers pofiles of both the prophet Muhammad and several contemporary American Muslims who describe the meaning of their faith. The web site contains additional historical and biographical information as well as background information on Islam.

In the Classroom

Try this one if your students are studying either the mideast, comparative religions, or American cultural traditions.

Here's a guide to Peru created by a pair of students. There are links on Peruvian history, climate, and lots more. While not fully authoritative, this content seems well suited to a student-to-student application.

In the Classroom

This would be a great resource for a beginning Spanish or World History class. Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce to students one of the many countries that predominantly speaks spanish, or plays a role in World History. This would be a great resource for students working on presentations or research projects.

The Kaiser Family Foundation prepared this guide to AIDS events and resources, with a particular emphasis on information recognizing the global AIDS epidemic and the efforts that will be required to combat further AIDS spread in Asia and Africa. Thoughtful students will find much to ponder here. The dates extend through 2007, but much of the information remains accurate.

In the Classroom

Plan a "World AIDS Day" activity in your health class or as part of a discussion of current events and challenges to global health and economics. Have students create online posters using Padlet (reviewed here) or multimedia presentations using UtellStory, reviewed here, to share on a class wiki or a cafeteria kiosk to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS around the world.

Here's the personal side of AIDS, told from an international perspective in an MTV-style presentation that should hold the attention of teens and other students. Combining facts with personalities, the site offers facts, opportunities for action, and examples of other teens' experiences. Share this one with your students; it's available in several languages.

We have great difficulty finding understandable, unbiased sites about the Arab world. This one, created by an independent British scholar, does a credible job of making a very different culture accessible and understandable to Western readers. There is a wealth of resources, including news summaries and extensive cultural information.

Here's a really first-rate treatment of the Middle East, its three primary religious subtexts, and the relationship of these to issues like global economics, literature, and history. Users will find a wealth of time-lines, as well as a series of "connecting questions" about issues like the role of women, nation-states, and the impact of stereotypes on international perceptions about this region. Lots of "extended thinking" opportunities here.

Part of the National Park Service "Teaching with Historic Places" series, this site uses the Manzanar Japanese-American internment camp as a starting point for an exploration of the internment activities that took place during World War II. As with other lessons in this series, the lesson asks students to interpret archival photos and draw conclusions from the images and contemporary accounts of the internment.

In the Classroom

This is a very detailed and intricate lesson that can easily last a few days. However it is very informative and provides information about Japanese internment camps that is often brushed over in the book. Take advantage of this great lesson plan during a unit on WWII or discrimination in the United States.

Here's the BBC's collection of profiles on dozens of countries. Written with a decidedly Euro-centric focus, American teachers will find this collection an interesting resource for comparing perspectives on international relations. Well worth a visit for its depth of information.

In the Classroom

Use the country profiles as activators or introductory activities to a lesson on a specific current event. Before students are able to understand happenings of today, it can be beneficial to provide them with a greater context, as seen here. To create a multimedia presentation with the information, have students use a mapping tool such asZeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)!

This lesson from the National Park Service series "Teaching with Historic Places" outlines the background for the outbreak of the war with Japan and uses maps and historical photos to teach about the battle of Midway and the island's strategic importance in World War II. This site could be a nice add-on to a study of World War II, Japan, or the geography of the Pacific region.

This web site from the PBS program by the same name offers a biography of the author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, as well as a teaching guide linked to the program itself. History, social studies, or English teachers may find this content useful in a unit on the holocaust or in a discussion of World War II.

In the Classroom

This site is a very moving resource for covering WWII and the Jewish Holocaust. Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities offered in the teaching guide on this site. US and World history teachers will appreciate this one.

National Geographic's Egypt site offers a pyramid time line, an explanation of how and why pyramids developed, and a general introduction to ancient Egyptian civilization. There's a wealth of material here, so some previewing would be in order, especially when working with younger students.